1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable articles and, more particularly, to a method of fixedly placing an adornment on an article in a manner that facilitates its removal. The invention is also directed to an adorned article made using the method.
2. Background Art
Many articles, in many different fields, are enhanced by attaching adornment thereto. It is common to use a basic article configuration and to selectively attach different adornment thereon to change the appearance thereof. This concept is particularly prevalent in the apparel industry.
One example of apparel, to which a wide range of adornment is attached, is headwear, such as baseball-style caps. The conventional baseball-style cap has a crown with a projecting brim/bill. Adornment, such as in the form of a team name or logo, is commonly attached to the front wall of the crown. This adornment may have many different forms. The adornment may be embroidered directly on a layer or layers defining the crown front wall. Alternatively, the adornment may be formed by a silk screening process or through the use of an impressionable label. Most commonly, the adornment is in the form of a discrete patch with the desired information thereon that may take virtually any form, i.e. words, logos, ornamentation, depictions of animate or inanimate objects, etc.
These patches are capable of being fixedly attached to the crown of the headwear piece in a number of different manners. In one form, an adhesive layer is provided on the back of the patch. By elevating the temperature of the adhesive layer, with the patch urged against the crown surface under pressure, the patch can be permanently bonded to the crown surface.
In another form, the patch is maintained in place by stitching. Typically, the stitching will extend continuously around the perimeter of the patch. In a lockstitch sewing operation, the stitching can be formed so that severance of the thread at any one location does not release adjacent stitches.
This type of adorned headwear is commonly offered as a souvenir at competitions, such as sporting events. One common practice in this industry has been to customize headwear by recognizing the victorious individual or team in a competition with an appropriate designation on the headwear. Fans and observers of such events have become accustomed to having such customized headwear available, either immediately after the conclusion of the event, or soon thereafter. Purveyors of headwear try to make such customized headwear available while the event is fresh in people's minds and there is enthusiasm that may lead to the purchase of one or more souvenir pieces of headwear, and other related paraphernalia.
At times, the volume demand for such headwear is extremely high. In large cities, hundreds of thousands of potentially rabid fans, caught up in the frenzy of a local championship, may be anxious to purchase a commemorative souvenir. To capitalize on the partisan energy that exists within a relatively short frame after such an event, purveyors of such souvenirs generally seek to have high volumes of the customized headwear available at the earliest possible moment after a victor is determined. Early exposure may translate into substantially greater sales than those of competitors.
This rush to market has lead to a number of different manufacturing and marketing practices. One practice is to produce large volumes of headwear identifying each of the participants as the victor. From a marketing standpoint, this is the most effective approach in that the customized headwear can be made available to fans exiting a stadium or arena immediately after the event which crowns the victor.
The obvious drawback with this marketing technique is that the headwear recognizing the losing participant as victor is unuseable. The owner of this stock is left with the options of either disposing of the same, or trying to alter it so that the basic headwear piece and/or the attached adornments can be re-used.
Generally, it is not practical to remove patches that have been attached using a heat activated adhesive. The patch and/or the headwear piece may be destroyed in an attempt to effect removal.
Patches that are applied using a continuous lock stitch sewing method are likewise relatively permanently attached. If removal is desired, each of potentially numerous stitches must be individually severed as by a tool with a sharpened cutting edge. This may be sufficiently time consuming that it is not cost effective to salvage either the headwear piece or the adornment.
As a result, historically purveyors of headwear have routinely disposed of headwear with adornment that is inaccurate or inappropriate. Losses can be very significant, so as to seriously adversely affect profits in a particular market.
This problem has lead some to produce lower end headwear with adornment that is defined by other than separately applied patches. However, those in the industry with reputations for high quality headwear do not generally wish to participate in this alternative manufacturing process. Additionally, those seeking a souvenir commemorating a rare event may wish to purchase a high quality headwear piece that will serve as a lifelong remembrance of the particular event.
The industry continues to seek out ways to provide high quality, commemorative headwear on an expedited basis without the inconvenience and potentially severe economic consequences, discussed above.